HALF A MILLION REASONS TO CELEBRATE

Back in May 2023, Bristol Beer Factory launched BREWED TO GIVE – a project which gives 2% from every brewery sale back to Bristol charities and local causes. Since then, we have raised a staggering £585,000 for community groups across the city.

Now BBF could have taken the easy option and chosen a handful of charities to benefit from a cash donation. But this isn’t a corporate-cheque signing photo opportunity. For Sam Burrows, our MD, and the entire team, this project is rooted in who we are as a business. It is about community, connection, and fairness. It is a commitment to raise up our city. It is an understanding that our product, our people and our community can only thrive together.

“Every keg, cask or can leaving our yard gives something back to the city,” said Sam. “This campaign is about connection, fairness and doing our bit for Bristol. “We’re not just brewing beer, we’re helping brew a fairer city, and every pint counts.”

So how have we raised £500,000+ for Bristol

At the end of each year, we set aside 2% of our total brewery sales for BREWED TO GIVE. This year, that amounts to £113k which we GIVE BACK TO BRISTOL as follows:

• Ringfence 5% of CLEAR HEAD sales for Talk Club (c. £43k in 2005-26), a mental health charity that focuses on talking as a route to resilience and mental fitness.
• Invite groups to request a share of £35,000 of BBF beer. For every pint donated, our community can generate around £5. On its own that’s small fry, but 35,000 pints could generate up to £175,000!
• Donated beer is not always appropriate. That’s why we choose up to 10 other Bristol-focused charities and gift them a cash donation between £2-5k, up to £35,000.
• Gift FREE use of STUDIO BBF for projects that support or raise funds for their community. It costs us nothing, but can collectively save our partners an estimated £10,000 per year.

Among the 261 charities and organisations supported across the city are:

• Talk Club received £125,000+ which is 5% of total Clear Head sales, helping fund peer groups and mental fitness initiatives across the UK
• St Werburghs City Farm raised £70,000+ with BBF beer, bar builds and volunteers to support year-round community wellbeing activities.
• The Coexist Community Kitchen raised £14,600 through events and donations to support marginalised communities through cooking programmes.
• Bristol Bisons Rugby received £16,900 in sponsorship, beer, and kit to trailblaze inclusive rugby.
• The MAZI Project received support totalling £10,000 to expand access to food for young people.
• Jam Nice CIC raised £2,500+ at one-off event which will help remove barriers in creative industries.

“Brewed to Give gave us genuine freedom to fundraise in a way that works for us, and it multiplied the benefit,” said Hadie Abido, co-founder of the Jam Jar. 

“The support has gone beyond anything we imagined,” added Jamie White of Bristol Bisons Rugby. “We all love coming to BBF. It’s inclusive, iconic, and totally community-first.”

“For us, it is clear that Bristol Beer Factory is driven by a desire for people to thrive, be that through providing a top-notch pint to have a chat over, supporting crucial mental health initiatives or backing grassroots community organisations doing vital work where it is most needed. Sometimes I wonder what Bristol would look like if all businesses followed BBF's example by putting people at the centre.” Hugh Rose, Director of Bristol Tree Craft Project.

Sam continues “Bringing people together over world-class beer is at the heart of what we do. It is where communities are built. This campaign is about using our currency, beer, to give back to our community, and support what Bristol does best - creativity, sport, inclusion and people-powered change. Brewed to Give flips beer into cash, maximising the impact of our support. 100% of the funds raised are kept by the community, for the community.”

The initiative recently won the SIBA Community Engagement Award, and with our new BS3 brewery now open, we have only just gotten started. Our city needs more and our door is open to other Bristol-focused businesses who want to collaborate or learn from us to make their own commitment to the city.

When every beer you buy gives back, there can be no better reason to get another round in.

Cheers Bristol.